Mental Performance Coaching

About Me

Hello Skim Community! My name is Katie Large, and I am a 2023 graduate from the University of Chicago. Ever since I was a young child, I have been enveloped in the world of sports. I was involved in almost every sport as a child and played three sports in high school, which inevitably led to my collegiate lacrosse career at UChicago. Throughout my experience as a young female student athlete, I struggled with my mental health. I constantly was anxious and self deprecating surrounding my sport, and it tainted my ability to truly enjoy the game. Fueling was also a huge challenge for me - my Celiac Disease, which I was diagnosed with at 12 years old, took a turn for the worst. 

Everything changed once I sought the help from a sports physiologist and mental health coach. I was able to truly experience the power of the positive mind in finding joy and holistic wellness. Getting help to properly fuel for my sport and manage my Celiac Disease was also a massive piece of my athletic and mental wellness. Without it, I would not be where I am today in my overall health, wellness, and fitness.

At my core, I am passionate about helping others find joy in the activities they love and feeling their most healthy self in doing so, which has lead me to support SkimWellness in providing intimate and personalized nutrition care for athletes of all backgrounds, as well as obtain my M.Ed. in Sport and Performance Psychology. 

Sports Nutrition Care and the Intersection with Mental Performance Coaching

So many athletes today struggle with properly fueling their bodies for intense exercise. With social media constantly projecting narratives of clean eating and unhealthy body images, athletes are at an even greater disadvantage, as so many of these influencers are a part of the athletics community.

SkimWellness’ goal is to combat this very narrative for athletes. Sports should never tear you apart; rather, they should lift the athlete up to feel their best self. Fueling properly for athletic activity is vital in this goal. SkimWellness clients today work with Sarah and our fantastic team of Staff Dietitians to get this very support. Because of SkimWellness, athletes are able to perform at their physical peak and feel their healthiest selves while doing so. In many instances, however, an athlete feeling their best self may extend beyond just physical performance.

Athletes that suffer with eating disorders or unintentional underfueling habits often overlap with having unrealistic perfectionistic expectations for themselves, both on and off the field. This mindset leads athletes to be fearful of failure, self-deprecating, and experience burnout. As a result, in today’s athletic arena where mental health is all the more important, the field of Sport Psychology has grown extensively over the past decade. In particular, mental performance coaching, a subset of sport psychology work, has exponentially grown.

The Certified Mental Performance Coach (CMPC) is a licensure under the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). CMPCs work specifically with the mental skills needed to perform at one’s highest potential, and in doing so, feeling their best selves in their disciplines. CMPCs mainly work with athletes, but also work in other high-performing arenas such as corporate roles, first responders, doctors, the military, and more. Mental performance coaching can be a meaningful addition to sports nutrition care as part of a well-rounded and all-encompassing approach to sustainable mental and physical wellness in sport. Not only will athletes be supported in fueling their bodies to perform their best, they will also be giving their mind the tools to find the joy in their sport, and let their true selves shine.

Mental Performance Coaching vs. Mental Health Therapy: A Guide to Holistic Mental Wellness for Athletes

Given the broad spectrum of what kind of mental health issues athletes can deal with, there is confusion around professional practice roles in sports psychology. Moreover, there is a fundamental difference between mental health professionals who work on mental health related concerns with athletes, and sports performance professionals who work with athletes on the mental tools to enhance their athletic performance. Although there is overlap between the two disciplines, it is very important to understand the difference between both avenues. As a mental performance coach, I specialize in helping athletes and other high-achieving individuals foster the mental tools needed to perform at their best. Mental skills regarding general mental health and treatment, however, is a practice that is covered by licensed therapists and clinical psychologists.

This is where generalized therapy comes in. In many cases, mental performance and mental health go hand in hand. This is why BOTH mental performance and generalized therapy are important tools. Mental performance coaching targets a specific mental muscle which improves performance, whereas therapy can help diagnose and treat all mental health conditions.

Both therapy and mental performance care are incredibly under-utilized tools for athletes who are under significant amounts of pressure and stress. If you are an athlete who is struggling to get past their own mental blocks in their sport, strongly consider working with a mental performance coach and/or therapist depending on your depth of need. The links below offer great resources to find an in-network therapist. Mental performance coaching is a new field, and therefore does not yet have a unified platform. However, private practices and athletics organizations are continuing to grow this space. A quick google search of “mental performance coaching near me” will likely find you the best mental performance care in your area.

Alma Therapy Portal 

Grow Therapy Portal

Rula Therapy Portal

As a youth and collegiate athlete myself, I personally experienced what it is like to struggle on the field mentally, constantly being held back by negative self-talk. Seeking mental performance coaching changed my athletic career and life. In only one season with a mental performance coach, I was transformed from the timid athlete I once was to my school’s first All-American.

From this experience, at my core, I am passionate about helping others find joy in the activities they love and feeling their most healthy self in doing so, as it was the same mindset that set me free to become my best self on and off the field. This inspired me to obtain my license and education in Mental Performance Coaching. Today, I am passing the same knowledge I gained through my personal and extensive experience with mental performance as a private mental performance coach. My degree in Sport and Performance Psychology will enhance my abilities to provide for all types of athletes and high achievers.

If you are looking for mental performance care, I would love to chat with you to understand what your needs are. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to 917-359-2751 or katie@joymentalperformance.com